The Story of Souls: A Sweboz AAR

[Olaf Blackeyes]

At this point we open up a new book, written in Arabic.
Chapter Three: Revelations (Part One)
Spring 610AD
My name is Mohammed ibn 'Abdullah. I am 40 years of age, and am lost in this life. For nearly 22 years i have been a trader, i have traveled the world, from the Indus to Syria, and back. I have seen much and talked with many. And yet no matter where i go, i always see unhappiness, poverty, corruption, and a mass of other evils. Even in my own home city of Mecca, i cannot help but see the abject disdain that those not of my tribe, the Quarysh, are shown. Even amongst my tribe there is much conflict and anger. And the Elders say that the gods shall aid those whom are right. But this has gone on for years upon years. Why haven't they stopped the anger yet, as the elders have said? The rich do not aid the poor, as they should. The waters do not flow for the people, as they should. Life is simply not as it should be.
But that is none of my concern, say the Elders. My wonderful wife, Khadijah, bought me this simple journal, to express my feelings in, but i have a feeling that this will not be enough.
I have been for the past several years, going to a cave in the mountains outside of my city, to think on these things and more. Each time i have come back unfulfilled but i always feel as if i am coming closer to something each time. I will soon leave again for the cave to try and finally sort out all of these thoughts of mine. Who knows maybe ill stumble across something this time around.

(Two weeks later:)
I arrived at the cave yesterday. And once again i have been thinking about life and how things stand. The peoples that i have traveled amongst are not amongst the most peaceful in this world. To the east the follower of the Hindu gods are split into classes by the very gods that they worship. How can a god treat his followers so? Allowing a few to horde everything for themselves while others around them starve?
And to the west the Lambarad and Gotan lords have allowed the religion of Christ to fragment and split only to brutally oppress the people that divide away from their view of Christ. How can such people, whom claim to follow God's will, allow for such evils to exist within their lands, and amongst their peoples?
I am hoping that further thought and meditation into these matters will provide me with some insight.

[Olaf Blackeyes]

DISCLAIMER

I am NOT trying to promote any form of ANY religion in this story, nor do i want this thread to turn into a religious debate. All i am doing is providing a POV.
Thank you for your time.

[julius_caesar_the_first]

You're trying to tell the story of Mohammed? This is the first time you've used a historical figure. I'm curious to see how this turns out.

[Olaf Blackeyes]

Chapter Three: Revelations (Part Two)
(From the Arabic book:)
Spring 610AD
As i write out these words, my soul is filled with joy, filled with happiness, and filled with truth.
Three nights ago, as i sat in meditation, i suddenly saw a bright light appear before me. Within the light i saw a heavenly figure. As i sat shocked, the spirit came forth and showed me images within my mind. I saw things, both good and bad, that very nearly tore me apart. As i recovered, the spirit spoke unto me. It told me that i was to go forth and preach the truth of Allah to the world. It told me several things which i dare not right down, for I'm certain that if i did this journal would instantly burst into flame. As the spirit finished its words, i was still horribly confused, and incredibly terrified at the same time. How could i, a simple trader, lead the world from the darkness, and into this wonderful light that the spirit proclaimed? As my thoughts got darker from these doubt, i even contemplated throwing myself from the cliff outside of the cave. However the spirit sense this and moved closer to me and told me not to fear, that i was to be a prophet of Allah, to spread His word and His love across all of the world, He would aid me in my quests, and He would always be with me, no matter how dark things got.
With that the spirit, whom i am starting to believe was an angel, departed my humble cave. He left me with many thoughts. I have been thinking them though for several days now. I KNOW that what i have sought for so long has finally been shown to me. And i KNOW that this is something that the world MUST be shown. However i simply have no idea how to tell everyone else, or even if i am worthy of such a Holy task.
I must go home soon, and tell my beloved as well. She will probably think the deserts have finally gotten to me. I hope the truth will bring the same light to her eyes as it has to mine.

(A week later:)
I arrived back here a week ago. As i sat down with my beloved and told her the things that i had been shown. At first she looked at me as if i had really gone crazy, but as time went on and i finished my story, she started crying. I asked her what was wrong and she said, that she had been having some of those same thoughts as mine before the truth was shown to me. She hugged me tight, and then lay prostrate and begged to be shown these truths as well. She is my first convert and success, i have many more to go. However i also have much thinking to do, as well. Before i can begin preaching to the people about these revelations, i must first cleanse my soul of its sins, so that my words are not tainted by them. My wonderful wife has agreed to help me in any way she can.

[Olaf Blackeyes]

And Arabia 610 AD

The tiny color patches on the Peninsula itself are the different tribes of Arabia.
The purple to the north are the Sassanids.
The orange in the west is the Kingdom of Abassyina (Ethiopia).
The maroon to the nw is the Langobards.
The brown to the nw is Gothic Egypt.

[Olaf Blackeyes]

At this point we open another book, written in Latin.
Chapter Four: Boredom
Summer 610AD
My name is Hiladus Redius. I am a noble of the Roman court and the general of the Legio IV. We are the keepers of the peace here in Hispania. I have done much soldiering work in my time. Everything from putting down heretical rebellions to punishing those that seek to rebel against the Emperor, i have done. I was even the leader of the defense force that stopped a Vandal invasion ten years ago. The filth tried to bring their corrupted views on the Bible to these lands, well i put a stop to THAT!
However things since have moved on from my lands, probably all of those problems in the east. So now i sit here and twaddle my thumbs, with next to nothing to do. The High Command wont reassign me, nor will they authorize me the funds to do anything important. As i sit and grow increasingly bored, i have done things that i never thought i would do, such as cheat on my wife, and started a trading business to fill my time. But im still bored and i search for a challenge.

(Three weeks later:)
Well i guess that "Ask and ye shall Receive" really is true. Two weeks ago we got a report of Vandal pirates raiding the coasts of Baetica. When i sent some cohorts to the coasts they reported seeing a LOT more raiding than normal. I immediately suspected that something was afoot, and gather ten more cohorts, leaving one to garrison the rest of the province. As they arrived a large number of ships landed on the coast east of Corduba. On them was an invasion army. However before my troops could show up the invaders broke into three groups. The first group went straight north, an obvious distraction, the other two went east and west along the coasts. I knew that they were probably the larger forces and they were headed for Corduba and Maieta. I immediately split my forces in half. The half that went east was to crush the raiding force and then ambush the Vandals heading for Maetia. I gave this force the larger number of men to do this task. The remaining 1/3 of the Legio IV i took direct command of And went to block off the pass into the central lands of Baetica and Corduba.
I received a message yesterday from the other part of the Legio. They had successfully crushed the Vandal raiders with ease, and were proceeding to the forests south of Maetia to ambush the Vandals.

I can only hope that they make it in time.

[Olaf Blackeyes]

Chapter Five: First Wave
(From the Latin book:)
Summer 610AD
Two days ago a report came in from the eastern part of the Legio. They had crushed the Vandals in a terrific ambush. The poor fools didnt even have time to get out of their marching column, before they were wiped from this earth. But this is what heretics and scum such as them deserve.

As i read the report i got an idea. Having reached the spot were i determined that it would be best to give battle to the invader, i noticed that it was incredibly rocky, and poorly suited for large amounts of cavalry. Seeing that there was no danger of a counter attack i sent most of the cavalry around the area of battle to attack the Vandal ships that were beached at the landing site. If i am correct the Vandals left their poorest troops to guard the ships, not expecting a counter-attack.

(Three days later:)
As i write these words, i am also cleaning the blood from my sword. It has been a hard day of fighting. The day began with the Vandals hurting out of the forests in front of us and onto the plain. We formed up to receive them.

Just before the battle began i gave a speech to the assembled men, and called to God to give us His blessing as we went into battle against the heretics in His name. As the battle began i sent what little light cavalry i had kept around the flanks of their army.

This was the lightest cavalry of the Legio, and therefore could maneuver around many of the large rocks that were strewn all over the field with relative ease. However they were still at a disadvantage against the enemy, most of whom were heavier infantry or spearmen. Therefore they went after the Vandal's lightest troops, and archers.
Meanwhile the main line of the Vandals had surged forward as well. After we threw our pilums at the filth, we charged right back into them.

As the lines met the fighting became fierce.

It quickly stalemated. I was with the unit of Auxilia Palantia that guard the eagle. I know that the fighting was fierce and for a few moment we became surrounded by the heathens. However we fought bravely, and the heathens did not overwhelm us that day.
Meanwhile the light cavalry had wiped out most of the Vandal's lighter troops and saw that we needed aid. They came racing.

The enemy general didnt hear the light cavalry's advance over the sounds of battle. The last thing he knew was a spearpoint protruding from his chest.

With his death his army dissolved into chaos. Victory was ours.

Even more good news arrived just a few minutes ago. The rest of the Legio's cavalry has captured nearly a third of the Vandal fleet.

On board many of these ships were weapons, armor, gold, and supplies, enough to essentially pay for the campaign we had just completed. So in the end God gave us His blessing, and a nice bonus.
But i must prepare the men for i know that with the remaining two thirds of their fleet still intact, the Vandals shall return with a vengeance.

[Olaf Blackeyes]

Chapter Six: The Beginnings (Part One)
(From the Runic book:)
Autumn 612AD
Again there is trouble on the edge of the Black Forests. The Khazars have returned. It took them twelve winters to recover from their previous defeats, but they have finally returned. The reports state that much of their horde is heading once again for the Avars lands. However this time around they have sent a significant force to attack the Poles as well. With the Poles under thread and our strategy under assault as well, we are going to the city of Warsawoz to help with its defense, with the main Polish armies defending the capital at Crazckow. It should prove to be a hard fight.
In other news the colony in Furtha is finally stable. Pressure from the Finnish tribes had put the new colony under great strain, for nearly 20 winters. However a recent victory has finally stabilized the borders. With security finally achieved, the High King can finally begin to develop these lands. However beyond the border the Finns still fight us tooth and nail. While our position there is secure, it is rather weak. However i suppose that i can blame this on the Avars as well, for these people, as far as we have been able to figure out, were once a part of a confederation with a people called the Ugurs. Then 50 winters ago the Avars hit the lands to their south like a lighting storm. When the Slavs fled they split in two, some going south, others going north, right into the heartlands of this confederation. The tribes couldn't resist the advancing Slavs and so they split and fled, the Finns west, and the Ugurs east. And now the Finns to the north of our colony are absolutely determined that their lands are never threatened again.
But enough about that. I have work to attend to.

(Two weeks later:)
As i write these words, the forces of our general, Frezdolaz, have set up shop in Warsawoz. The main Polish armies are in the southern part of the country, mainly at the citadel of Crazckow. These arrangement assure that the Poles receive the Khazars to their own extent, while we not only cover their backs but we can also outflank the vile Khazar filth and wipe out many of their warriors and undead at our leisure.
There is also great news from the south the first wave of Khazars has been broken on the Avar's rock. However the Avar's main army has suffered huge losses, amounting to nearly half of its standing force.

There are still innumerable amounts of Khazars out there waiting to fight us to the death, however. I know that this is not the end of this fight by a long shot.

[julius_caesar_the_first]

So the mysterious purple people are Slavs.

[Olaf Blackeyes]

Well the precursors to the Russians yes.
+1 for you.

[desert]

The Russians should arrive pretty soon, then. With their Viking armies and their craving for wedding cake.

[Olaf Blackeyes]

lulz
Nice one desert. Ok DESSERT=Desert LOLZ!!!

You would happen to BE Russian would you?

[julius_caesar_the_first]

I get a balloon? yupeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[desert]

You would happen to BE Russian would you?

Close enough I guess.

[Olaf Blackeyes]

Chapter Six: Beginnings (Part Two)
(From the Runic book:)
Winter 612AD
Well as the snows set in this winter is over and a new one begins. Just before the snows, however, we received excellent news. The Khazars that had besieged Crazckow have been totally destroyed in a massive battle. This allows us to make raids against their rear guard with near impunity now.

Some bad news has also come in. The Romans and Greeks will not be able to aid us in this war with anything more than a token support. The Romans are far too busy fighting pirates and Vandals. While that war is still small their is promise for future conflict there as well.
Meanwhile the Greeks are under attack by Pontos and the Langobards, and are in a desperate battle to hold onto the rest on the Mikra Asian coast. There have been several major battles already and the Greeks have lost all of them. Right now the only things they hold onto are the cities of Pergamon, and Ephesus, and some of the surrounding territory. The Romans are in fact sending THEM help. Their Legios II and XI are soon to land in Mikra Asia to help repel the barbarians as they call their many enemies.

(From the Arabic book:)
Spring 613AD
At last! The visions have come once again, so i can safely assume that my time of purification has come to an end.
While undergoing the purification of my soul, i managed to also convert several others to the light of Allah. As i have gotten a small group together, we can begin our lives again as Those Whom Serve ((Muslims)), as our Lord Allah has dictated.
My first command is to go from unto the people and preach to them of the Light of Allah, and to show them the truth. I know at first it will be hard, of that i am certain. But the old stone idol gods shall fall, i do not know how long this will take, but i have been assured that they will fall. This is a blessing, for they have lied to us for as long as we have followed them.

(Three days later:)
As expected i have not made a lasting impression upon the people. In fact yesterday one man threw a rock at my head and branded me a heretic. He missed of course, but i now see that this will probably take even longer than i though, maybe my whole life. This i do not mind in the least, for the world MUST be shown the truth.

(From the Latin book:)
Spring 613AD
DAMN THESE VANDAL FILTH!!!! They have managed to continue to attack the shipping in spite of the fact that i have destroyed three of their fleets out to sea. In fact we now have reports that they are invading the naval base at Palmas, in the Balres Islands. Of course little help is forthcoming due to the Greeks plight. Why the High Command sent them two FULL Legios is beyond me. But i have only one under my command, so many battles have become dominated by local militias. However i have to take three cohorts out to the Balres and repel these heretical filth. I only hope i can arrive in time to prevent them from capturing half of the Imperial Fleet.

(Two weeks later:)
More and more raiders keep coming. With most of the Legios fighting the Slavic Tribes or helping the Greeks we dont have a lot of leftover forces to fight these bastards. Of course the usual politics within the High Command has once again paralyzed the process of recruiting more troops, or even gathering more levies. I simply dont understand what is wrong with these Counts and Dukes. The Emperor as usual has stepped aside to go to his pleasure palace in the hills of Neapolis, so there is no help there.
Well at least i have gotten the pirates out of the Balres.

[Olaf Blackeyes]

Chapter Seven: Arise
((This is from no book, nor does the narrator even know of it. This is a story development. Consider it a "special" treat. MWWWAHHAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!))
????
It slept in a forced slumber. It was bound to this sleep, and had been for nearly 3400 years. In its dreams It saw what would happen if It were to awaken ever again. It saw Itself being ripped apart by light, being burned by the High Powers, being torn into fragments of itself, again and again. It cursed the day that It had fallen into this trap, as It did everyday, as It had done for nearly 3400 years. It slept.

The Sahara
Summer 613AD
There was fighting in the desert. The Tuareq Berber tribe under their Queen, Kasshetua, were fighting the Vandal dominated tribes of Hisheq, Azer, and Bafour, for control of the most holy Berber oasis that their people had, the Twiqet Oasis. While the Tuqareqs tried to fought away from the oasis, as custom dictates, many of the Vandal dominated Berbers were Arian Christians, and had little respect from the ancient customs of their people. The fight was for the souls of the Berber people, would the old stone gods remain or would Arian Christianity become supreme?
As the battle swirled around the holy waters the Pagan Berbers tried to guide it away from the shores of the Oasis, but the Christians were shoving them towards the waters in an attempt to dispose of the pagans in their "holy" lake. It was a final insult to a time they thought long dead.
As the battle reached the shores, the Tuareq Berber finally gave up, seeing that they were doomed. However the commander of the Christians was a cruel man, and ordered them to be killed and thrown into the lake. As the process was taken care of the waters of the lake darkened with the blood of the innocent and the guilty, befouling the lake.

????
As It dreamed a particularly horrible dream, It suddenly felt a shock go along its prison. The magic keeping It there was being QUICKLY thrown into chaos. It used all of Its remaining power to add to the chaos, and then overwhelm the magics that kept It imprisoned. As the walls of Its prison first cracked, then crumbled, It regained a massive proportion of Its powers. As Its prison was finally crushed, It rose.

The Sahara
Summer 613AD
As the Christian Berbers celebrated their victory, they not only continued to befoul the lake with defecation, but even began to contemplate destroying the pagan temple just on the opposite shore. However one of the priests that had accompanied the army looked at the lake in growing terror. It had gotten blacker and blacker as the day had progressed. He had reported his suspicions to the chieftain, but the man had waved them off, saying that it was probably the pagan spirits crying for their fallen ways. Oh how WRONG he would turn out to be.
Suddenly three massive sand dunes collapsed around the army. They also sucked about a third of them down with them. This threw everything into chaos. People were running everywhere. As the commander tried to restore order amongst his men. The lake suddenly glowed with a BLACK light. Many of the men tried to run from the lake, other milled about in confusion. It was far too late, for suddenly the commander saw something rising from the lake. At first it was hard to tell what it was. Then he saw It in Its full evil glory. His first and last though was, that Satan had come amongst them.

????
As It burst forth from the surface of the lake, It let out a terrific roar of freedom. As It got Its bearings straight, It saw what was left of Its once proud domain. What had been a hell-ridden landscape had turned into a titanic desert. Once vast armies of slaves had disappeared, and Its once glorious Black Fortress had been washed away by time. It then saw below some minor lifeforms scurrying about. As It had yet to regain Its full powers It decided to perform some soul sacrifices to get It by for the time being. It extended a hand and the insignificant beings below were eaten by blackness. The land around It was collapsed inwards and downwards, and a MASSIVE PIT was formed. In the middle of this pit a new Black Fortress arose. As It condensed Its form down to a size that would draw the attention of the powers around It, It also tried to extend Its powers as far as It could. However several thousand feet out It hit a brick wall that It could not pass. 'The powers that had imprisoned It were smart', It thought. However these wards were weak after millennia of neglect, and all it would take was a little coaxing and a little time and those wards would come crashing down. So It baited the wall's magics and slowly but surely drew them away from each other. It began to burn the temple that had oppressed It out of existence. It released a black cloud of raw evil magics to block out the light and hope from above. It also began to return the land around It into a hellish state. It even began to reform Its demonic armies of times past.
But most of all It waited.

[julius_caesar_the_first]

Realy realy realy BIG plot twist Great job Olaf

[HunGeneral]

And I though nothing new could be added to this. Great move Olaf

[Olaf Blackeyes]

Chapter Eight: The First and the Last (Part One)
(From the Runic book:)
Autumn 613AD
As i write these words, the reports coming in speak of a great victory to the east. Apparently the Khazar filth tried to cross the river Ormor at its best ford. All that these troops were composed of were levies of undead and slaves, and a few herders to guide them along.
The battle itself was short and decisive.

This victory has left the entire flank of the enemy open to an attack from us. We are gathering our best men to go and put an end to this evil before it can spread like the Huns did before them. I can only pray for their success.

(Three weeks later:)
DAMN THESE BASTARDS!!!!! I simply cannot believe what has happened. We managed to advance about fifty miles into the steppes before we were brutally ambushed by an EVEN LARGER army of Khazar filth. The battle took even less time than our victory did. What few survivors there were reported even LARGER numbers of undead, slave soldiers and highly skilled horse archers. The more and more that came the more and more that took their place on the horizon. The warriors described enemies that stretched on forever.

And these troops are heading right for us! I can only hope that this is due to demonic magics and not a sign of how many actual troops they have.

[Olaf Blackeyes]

Chapter Eight: The First and the Last (Part Two)
(From the Runic book:)
Spring 614AD
This has to be impossible. I know that i CANNOT believe these reports. According to what few scouts remain, the river Ormor had shifted course due to the huge numbers of undead and slave soldiers that marched across it three weeks ago. And the are STILL coming.
Our commander on the Ormor tried to deal with these filth himself. The first of this... flood... of monsters crossed at a point in the north about a month ago, right into a rather large hole in the ground. General Frezdolaz decided to punish them for their mistake. He marched towards the undead at full speed, ready to wipe them out once again. As the battle began he faced a pretty size-able force of Khazars and undead. However he managed to push them back towards the pit that they had set up as their base. However as soon as he reached the edge of the pit, he realized he had made a mistake. In that pit alone had to be 20000 undead and slave soldiers.

And coming up from behind him were even MORE Khazars and undead.

He quickly realized that this was an ambush. However it was a rather poor one. So he ordered his forces to retreat, as fast as possible. However several dozen warriors did not see the danger or heard the command over the sounds of battle and did not retreat. They were slaughtered for their meat.

While the battle was not a disaster it was still a pretty big defeat. Frezdolez pulled his men back into the forests and tried to ambush a pretty significant force about a week later. However the Khazar commander was a smart man. Rather than go in there and fight our warriors, he had his archers and demons set the whole thing ablaze. This drove our men out of the forests, with more than two-thirds of them being roasted alive. The rest were slaughtered by the Khazars.

Since then it has been nothing but defeat after defeat for our brave forces. The next man to try and take on the Khazars was General Guralezez. His forces were brutally beaten on the opposite bank of the Wesser river.

There are reports of undead so numerous that Khazar commanders simply fling them at the walls of towns until they are crushed under the weight on the undead. And still MORE of them are coming. We have broken dams to flood them out, we have trapped them in passes to crush them, we have set trees on fire and burned them out of their camps to slaughter them. AND THEY STILL KEEP COMING!!! By Odin how do these people have so many warriors and undead at their disposal?!?!?! They are currently heading for Crazckow and Warsawoz at the same time. The Poles have been brutally beaten back every step of the way. I have been forced to take command of this collapsing front and call for our full might on this one. I have very little actual military experience so im only in command until a more experienced general arrives. I can only pray that that is soon.

(Two weeks later:)
Well there is finally some good news to report. We have faced off against a HUGE number of undead troops that made up the tail end of this horde in front of us and we won. They finally finished crossing the Ormor about a week ago. It took this force a month and a half to cross a river, A MONTH AND A HALF!!!!!!!!! That is just way too far beyond unbelievable, and yet the proof is right there before my eyes.
Anyway the command of General Igroztelez was the only one still mostly intact within all of Poland. He saw that the Khazar force had finally finished crossing and decided to give them at the least a bloody nose. However these undead were really without a commander they were just following the smells of meat and blood left behind by the Khazar demons and commanders. He ambushed the leaderless undead beautifully.

However there were a HUGE number of them.

This was not a bloodless victory by any means. His command was shrunken by a third at the end of that day. However over 22000 enemy bodies were burned at the end of the day as well.

But this is a minor fraction of the total forces that these filth can summon so it is going to be a long fight for the people of Germania as well.

[Olaf Blackeyes]

Chapter Nine: A Shift
(From the Latin book:)
Summer 614AD
Well it is official. The Langobards and Pontics have fled the Greek territories. It took the full might of the Legio IX to put down this invasion. They fought the Langobard forces outside of Ephesus and Pergamon. They had a hard fight and i envy the fact that i am not there with them. It took them much of the day but in the end the foolish barbarians could not prevail over our forces.

And, if the reports are correct this invasion was committed with rather poor troops. They speak of levies and militias at best. I guess it is just all of the wars that these heathens are fighting might be running them low on troops, or out of, troops.
But the Greeks are in little position to take advantage of the situation. The Fight to regain Nicaea from the Pontics was far harder. The first battle took place at the landing site. It was fast and victorious.

However the fight to retake Nicaea was far harder and a lot more bloody. It was a bad day to attempt such a thing, but the commander of the Greek army, a man named Theodosius, decided that he need to retake the city as soon as possible before any Pontic reinforcements could show up.
The Pontic defenders had dug into the defenses REALLY deep. And to make matters worse a dust storm set in upon the area as the first assault began.

The first assault was repelled with heavy losses to both sides.

As the dust raged around him, Theodosius decided to send in his very best troops, the Armatus Corps. The Armatians are a very special grade of troops, probably the finest in the whole world, a step above even our Legionaries. They are 1000 slaves that are specially picked out to become the Basileus's personal guard, and are given the best training via many of the means and methods of Old Sparta. They are also given the best weapons, armor, and rewards after the campaign finishes. They live to fight and they fight to live. Theodosius decided to divide the 200 Armatus troops in half, 100 to lead a diversionary assault upon the most guarded part of the walls and the others to sneak around and open a secondary gate for cavalry to pour in through. He also ordered some peasant levies to undermine the walls in order to cause confusion and provide another entrance for the army.
While the peasant made their breach with ease, the Armatian's assault on the walls proved once again their caliber and skill. They hit the walls like a lightning storm. It was 100 Armatians and 1000 Greek militia vs. 6000 or so Pontic militias and 1000 elites. The sounds coming off of the top of that walls were... just plain evil, some of these reports that i have read say. However about an hour after the assault had begun, the Greek militia had been broken, but the Armatians kept fighting. Even when there were only 30 or so left they kept fighting. And they won.

The rest of the Greek militia poured into the city through the hole in its walls. However they were met by the other half of the enemy militias. What ensued was a total brawl, reckless fighting, disorder and in general, sheer stupidity. The Greek militias were forced to flee and regroup outside the walls. But that did not matter at this point, for the other half of the Armatians had broken open the North Gate, and the cavalry had poured into the settlement. This forced the militias and even the remaining elites towards the center of the settlement for a last stand. However the cavalry outpaced the Armatians and other infantry and reached the square first, obliterating some militias that had been left there as a reserve.
It was then that Theodosius decided to do the most foolish thing he could have possibly done. In a vain attempt to win personal glory and a chance for high rank, he charged the retreating Pontics from the front. They promptly surrounded him and cut him down brutally, along with much of the cavalry.

The Armatians once again saved the Greeks cause, by charging the Pontics from the back and giving what was left of the army time to regroup, they also carved up most of the remaining Pontic infantry until the garrison commander was killed. It was then that the Pontics surrendered.
The battle was won at that point, but it was an increadbly costly victory and it was ONLY due to the Armatus Corps.

So now the focus has shifted once again, reports have come in from the north, as well as German messengers, they ask for our aid, but to me it actually sounds like they are begging. BEGGING GERMANS!!!!! HA! HA!
The Langobards and Pontics have fallen back to their own struggles between them and the Sassanids. And the Greeks are trying to rebuild their strength, so it is once again up to good Roman steel to restore order to the frontiers.

[desert]

So are those the strngest unit?
Can I get the stats?

[Olaf Blackeyes]

These arent the strongest, i just beef the **** outta them. And i got a limit of 2 units per army.
Ill get u those stats asap though.

EDIT: Ok i take back what i said, these guys are the strongest unit in Rio's IBFD. However they are one of FIVE variates of the Comitatinses and they all have the same stats. It seems that the main modder was "inspired" by M2TW's unit diversity and found a way to copy it within the RTW engine limits.
These are the WRE Comitatinses base stats:





The ERE has pretty much the same thing, except the bird one is different. AND none of these guys is in charge of the Legionary Eagle, that honor goes to the Auxilia Palatina.

[Olaf Blackeyes]

And now a special treat for you all.
The State of the Roman Army in 610AD
While still a force to be reckoned with, the Roman Legions of this time are nowhere NEARLY as powerful as they were in the time of Caesar. As the Empire had gone through many periods of decline and revival, the Legions had suffered. During the time of Caesar there were 30 fully armed and armored legions, with fully staffed officer corps, and well supplied and backed up by a good road network and many Auxilia warriors. Each Legion consisted of 5000 Legionaries, 2000 Cavalry, and 2700 Auxilia.
Now, in the Time of Migrations, the Legions are significantly weakened. The roads have fallen into significant disrepair, plagues have significantly weakened the recruitment base, and money for payment has become rather hard to find en-mass. In response to these challenges, the Romans have had to make significant cutback. The Legions are now mainly mercenary forces centered around the "Core" of 1000 men that are of "Roman" blood. The Auxilia has become a byword for peasant conscription, and the Fodetaried tribes are the main fighting force in the West. There are only 12 Legionary Eagles left at this point. Many of the peasants have poor weapons, if they have weapons at all. A full Legion is made of 7000 men. It is comprised of 1000 "Core" troops, 2500 Fodetari barbarians, and 4500 Auxilian fodder. Often more command postions are filled with newbloods due to the extreme casualty rate amongst non elite Roman soldiers of this time.
And this is standard formation:

The Roman forces of this era rarely use any tactics beyond the formation of one or two battle rows and charging headlong into the fray. Of course when the terrain permits they stage masterful ambushes. Cavalry, while still small, is very slowly becoming more and more important.
The Auxilia are supplied by two means, In Italy and Gaul, they are told by their landlords to go to war for a certain period of time, usually 5 years in lieu of paying their taxes, which most dont have the money for. In Hispania they are forced to come out and arm themselves or have their families turned off of their lands by their landlords.
And of course the ever corrupt Senate, and High Command slow the process of thinking amongst the army so much that it is usually left up to the field commanders to coordinate their stratagems, something NONE of their schools have prepared them for.
The main thing holding the Empire together at this point is the fact that they have the German shield to protect their lands from invasion. The Germans are the best shield due to their low lifespan, position and of course, high quality of warriors. The constant in-fighting and dynastic criesies of the Germans keep them on the defensive. This allows for the rather venerable Romans to stay in power as long as they keep a hand in the German court. This was dramatically proven when the Frankish Tribes invaded Northern Gaul. They had so many easy victories it was ridiculous.

[Tyrfingr]

A roman empire in 610AD is alone awesome...kinda starting to dig this AAR!

[HunGeneral]

I gotta say this is quite well made alternative history. Roman empire in 610AD - amazing.

I would ask something from you Olaf about the mod your using (IBFD) - the Hunnic units seem usefull but are they very different from Barabrian Invasion? (thoose armie compositions remind me more on EB Saka or Pahlavs then BI Huns...)

[Olaf Blackeyes]

IBFD Huns are VERY different from BI Huns. Where BI began in 363AD when the Huns were still a wandering tribe, IBFD takes place in 410AD When the Huns have conquered the first part of their empire. As a result they have 5000x the number of infantry types available, most of which are tribal. Goths, Gauts, Lemoii, Gepidea and others.

[Olaf Blackeyes]

Chapter Ten: Drawing Blood
(From the Latin book:)
Autumn 614AD
Our forces have made contact with the Khazars. The first battle took place on the plains within the Avars lands north of Constantinople. From what the reports tell me i can see why people call them Huns spawn. The battle itself was rather large considering that only two-thirds of the Legio V was involved.
The Avars army was most levies, as were many of our troops there. The Khazar were using nearly 18000 risen, slave, and horsebow warriors, a LOT more than the Huns ever had. And if the reports are correct, then this is only the tip of the spear. Anyhow, the Khazars fought like demons if reports are to be believed.

As the man in charge of the Legio fragment was a junior officer who wanted glory and fame, he rushed headlong into the fray, really not stopping to consider the consequences.
Of course once the battle began in earnest it really didnt matter anymore. Blood and slaughter was in earnest on both sides, with our men nearly being surrounded not once, but three times by the filth.

Things began to look rather bleak for our troops, the Khazar filth were winning at a steady pace.

However it was at that moment that the Avar Khagan chose to hit the Khazar lines like a lightning storm.

He mowed under thousands of undead troops, and broke the will of the slaves to keep fighting. And they turned to flee.

So at the end of the day the field belonged to us rather than the Huns spawn.
However the victory was a costly one for sure.

We have a hard fight ahead of us, and i can only hope that the High Command can see reason and send aid to the Germans and Poles in the north.

[Olaf Blackeyes]

Chapter Eleven: The Fires of the Chaos Gods
(From the Runic book:)
Spring 615AD
Well the last of the fires have been extinguished, thankfully. These past three weeks have been a stint in Hel's domains.
The newest wave of troubles started when the remains of our army managed to retreat to Crazkow and fortify the position. The Khazar filth had been chasing them rather closely however, so they were not far behind. Within two weeks the Khazars had their siege engines up. However the terrain was, of course, decidedly NOT in their favor.

The attack began with the usual gusto of the Khazars, they sent in huge waves of undead to assault the walls.

As the undead approached the walls the corpses began to pile up, we must have killed ten of thousands of them, but they just kept coming and coming. We hurtled rocks, flaming oil, fire spells, and even burning logs at them, but the more we killed the more that we had to kill, it seemed.

Then the enemy demons began to start hurtling fire over the walls. This caught many buildings ablaze and killed quite a few people. The line were quickly dissolving into pure chaos.
However the situation began to look up when their ram caught aflame.

This prevented them from launching a direct assault and forced them to go over the walls, rather than through them. Once they got their ladders up them poured over the walls onto our waiting spears. The Poles were the main force in this fight, using spears, sword, and whatever else they had available to throw the undead off of the walls. The fighting was as brutal as it ever is against these monsters.
The worst part came when the undead got their siege tower to the wall and poured onto the walls throwing nearly 1000 men from them.

However i was able to get beneath them in time and save several hundred from falling to their deaths. The fighting however grew even more fierce and desperate until the Poles came and hit the undead so hard that many of THEM fell from the walls.
Out in front of the walls several Khazar cavalry assaults were repulsed with rather huge casualties. Once this action ended, the battle was over, and we had finally won.

Once again casualties were massive for both sides. And it took us a few day to put out all of the fires causing even more deaths. However this time around we have reinforcements coming to our aid so these wont hurt us so badly. And now we have the momentum and once the reinforcements arrived i am going to urge the new general to take it and make GOOD use of it.

[Olaf Blackeyes]

Chapter Twelve: Counter Attacks (Part One)
(From the Runic book:)
Summer 615AD
Well it seems that this front is finally starting to turn our way. Just yesterday we received a report of a massive Polish victory at Warsawoz that repelled the undead in a HUGE slaughter.
The battle began with the undead advancing upon the Polish town with their rams in tow.

Unlike the citadel at Crazcow, the town of Warsawoz doesnt have stone defenses or a natural barrier to keep out huge numbers of troops or funnel them into a kill trap. The rams quickly broke down the wooden walls and gates. The undead surged forward overwhelming the wall in a few other paces as well.

The Polish troops inside were putting up an incredible fight, but the sheer numbers of undead troops were just plain overwhelming them. In several place the weight of the fallen corpses shattered shield walls and spears it was so heavy.
However it was at this point that the Polish cavalry showed up to the beleaguered towns defense.

They managed to draw off many of the undead with fire magics and meat scents, bring the press to a sudden halt. As the Polish forces regained the momentum, they shoved the enemy out of their town, step by blood-soaked step.
After the press was lifted the Polish cavalry commanded decided to attack the Khazar warlord himself. This was not the smartest idea he could have come up with.

Especially when the Khazar warlord's demon guards used their magics to make several of the horses explode out from under their riders. However they loosened the demons control over the undead because the demons were busy trying to save their skins with the magics. The allowed the Poles to put forces behind nearly all of the remaining undead in the city and several Khazar cavalry bands outside as well.

With this the Khazar turned tail and fled, leaving most of their foot troops to be destroyed by the Polish warriors. The battle was a victory, and a good one at that.

Now the whole front will be moving forward once again and we can crush this threat once and for all.